2017 Texas Legislature
The 85th Texas Legislative Session started January 10, 2017 and runs until May 29, 2017. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. Learn about the latest developments in the 2017 Texas Legislative Session here.
January 30th, 2017
Donald Trump has formally ordered up his border wall built and it could cost the federal government as much as $30 billion. Top Republicans in the Texas Legislature have for months speculated that walling off the U.S.-Mexico...
January 30th, 2017
Late Friday afternoon, federal Judge Sam Sparks issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the State of Texas from enforcing new rules for abortion facilities requiring the humane disposition of the bodies of babies who have...
January 20th, 2017
While some top state leaders like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and now Straus have spoken up on the legislation, Abbott has kept his opinions mostly under wraps, previously saying that he’d like to see the details.
January 16th, 2017
The Senate will gavel back in on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and the House will be back at 2 in the afternoon. Can't make it to Austin for the action? Watch live videos from the House here and the Senate here.
January 11th, 2017
Criteria include graduation from a Texas high school or receiving a diploma equivalent in the state; a residency requirement; and the student’s signature on an affidavit showing the intent to apply for permanent resident...
January 4th, 2017
The 85th Texas legislative session is just around the corner. It begins on January 10, 2017 and priorities have already been set. A Convention of States is high on the list. The Texas Lt. Governor sent out a press release in...
November 18th, 2016
It was a decade ago that then-Gov. Rick Perry stood on the banks of the Rio Grande in his Carhartt jacket, promising in a TV commercial that “If Washington won’t protect our border, Texas will.” At that time, Texas...
June 23rd, 2016
The issue of worker misclassification promises to loom large once again during the next session of the Texas Legislature – and not just as it relates to the construction industry.
January 30th, 2017
Following a federal judge’s ruling blocking new rules about the disposal of fetal remains in this state, the powerful Chairman of the Texas House State Affairs Committee did something on Saturday he has never done during the...
January 28th, 2017
LOCAL control once controlled Texas Republicanism.In the 1978 gubernatorial race, Bill Clements campaigned on a conviction that locals carry the greatest knowledge of and investment in their place.“Dollar Bill” even doubled...
January 18th, 2017
Wayne Christian was sworn in on January 9th as the latest addition to the Texas Railroad Commission. The William Travis building room 111 in Austin was standing room only, filled with conservatives from all over Texas to...
January 13th, 2017
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Dallas Sen. Royce West on Thursday unveiled a bill that would establish a grant program to help law enforcement agencies buy high-quality protective vests for field officers, a response to the Dallas...
January 10th, 2017
Altogether, the Legislature has plenty to work on this session. There will also be some attempts to legislate against sanctuary cities, on marijuana, for anti-discrimination, as we've mentioned, along with a whole slew of...
January 2nd, 2017
Those controversial issues could steal time and attention away from much-needed reforms. Nearly all lawmakers want to revamp how public schools operate. Also, a troubled foster care system continues to limp along until...
November 4th, 2016
The Texas Legislature may be looking into ways of providing paper backups to electronic voting machines after claims of machine errors in the 2016 election cycle.